Dr. William Sears at the Boys and Girls Club of Memphis

On the second Tuesday of every month, something special happens at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis/ Technical Training Center. Passionate teenagers put their cooking skills to use, partnering with a local chef to provide a three-course meal. Attendees come for a free dinner while they listen to a guest speaker and learn more about the work of the Boys and Girls Clubs.

The TTC hosted guest speaker Pediatrician William Sears, MD. Sears is an acclaimed physician and the author of more than 30 books on childcare. He spoke about eating, living healthy, and making sure your “little fat heads” get all the nutrients they need. He addressed ADHD, ADD, and diabetes, common diagnoses that can often be prevented or resolved by kids getting necessary nutrients and becoming more active. He tells his little patients that we have “a pharmacy within us that can produce the medicines we need” by being aware of what we put in our bodies and having an active lifestyle.

Some of Sears main points included:

• Shape young tastes; make your child’s eating habits relevant. Tell your kids the foods they eat will help them grow big and tall, that these are “football foods” or “dance foods.” Let them read lables and point out ingredients like “Yellow 5” are bad for them.
• Graze. Eat twice as often but only half as much. Dr. Sears suggested using chopsticks to help control overeating.
• Eat lots of fruits, vegetables and consider adding Juice Plus+. Sears recommends taking Juice Plus+, a whole-foods based nutrition, including juice powder concentrates made from 25 different fruits, vegetables, and grains. Also, he encourages eating plenty of vegetables and fruits throughout the day.

Juice Plus+ was launched locally in 1970 by Jay Martin. Martin is the founder and funder of the Technical Training Center. The center offers teens ages 16 to 21 the opportunity to learn technical skills such as cooking, gardening, logistics, and automotive care. In order to participate in the program, teens must be currently enrolled as a BGC member or a former member. For further information about their offerings, go here.